Black female reality stars have the burden of "Reality TV's Black Excellence Complex"

Refinery29

"Black women are saddled with the burden of putting on for the whole community — a responsibility that many of their white counterparts rarely have to shoulder," says Ineye Komonibo. "Heavy is the crown of representation, and across the reality sphere, Black women are weighed down by the personal calling of excellence. We need not look further than Bravo’s present programming to observe the challenges faced by Black women navigating the space; at the reality TV hub, Black talent’s hyper awareness about the narrative of Blackness being shared with the world is a direct result of internalizing the pressure to perform at the highest levels." Komonibo points to the different perceptions when it comes to the Real Housewives franchise: "Even as (Real Housewives of Atlanta) quickly became one of the network's highest performing series, there were some who still viewed it in a harsh and unfavorable light despite it having the same shouting matches and shade-throwing as the other primarily white franchises," says Komonibo. "New Jersey’s Teresa Giudice literally flipped tables and famously accused one of her castmates of being a 'prostitution whore' (season one); Lisa Rinna of Beverly Hills broke a wine glass at a casual dinner during a heated argument (season five); the Lone Star State’s very own LeeAnne Locken issued a thinly-veiled threat of physical violence under the waning influence of anesthesia (season two). Those incidents and more were largely chalked up to the ladies’ larger-than-life personalities. Black women everywhere recognize that the rules have always been different for us; such blatant double standards are nothing new. As a group that sits at the intersection of two perpetually marginalized identities, misogynoir strips us of the opportunity to behave badly — even a little — forcing us to be the picture of excellence at all times lest we be negatively stereotyped. Actively avoiding the minefield of common tropes like the Mad Black Woman, the Hoodrat, or the Jezebel is a full-time job, and when you’re on television, you’re working overtime."